La
Niña (Spanish for "The Girl" is the meteorological
label for the opposite of the better known El
Niño (Spanish for "The Boy". They are opposite ends of
the "Southern Oscillation Index" which is calculated from the
monthly fluctuations in the air pressure difference between Tahiti
and Darwin.

In late 2010 Australia is experiencing a strong La Nina event
due to extensive cooling of the central and eastern Pacific
Ocean.

Six months ago Green Cross and the Property Council of Australia
led a hypothetical about a major cyclone hitting Southeast
Queensland directly, in front of an audience of 300 business
leaders in Parliament House Canberra. The panel included then
Climate Change Minister Penny Wong and Shadow Sustainable Cities
Minister Bruce Billson. We wrote an open letter to Premier Anna Bligh,
Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman and Gold Coast Mayor Ron Clarke
- all Green Cross supporters.

How sea level rise combines with storm surge to increase
impacts

For coastal communities, resilience will be challenged as
gradual increases in sea level rise combine with king tides and
major weather events to put social and built infrastructure at
risk.

According to the Federal Department of
Climate Change's Coastal Climate Change - The Science
Basis report, "Many people imagine that with climate
change sea level will rise gradually, like water rising in a bath.
However, the combined effect of rising sea levels and changes in
extreme storm events will produce much greater risks in the coastal
zone than any single factor."

Explore OzCoasts sea level rise maps and you
can see how a 1.1 meter sea level rise could impact on the Gold
Coast looking at a 2100 scenario - picture a storm surge several
metres high on top of rising seas to understand why coastal
adaptation is becoming a pressing challenge for Australia.

Green Cross embraces the integration of climate change
mitigation with adaptation - each time we protect, retreat and
rebuild coastal infrastructure we can both reduce our greenhouse
and other environmental impacts as well as building community
safety and resilience.

Eco-resilience makes sense: the most sustainable approach to
natural disaster preparedness is to protect our homes and
neighbourhood infrastructure so they do not have to be rebuilt.

What happens in major weather events

Usually major cyclones track the Queensland coast then veer
offshore, but as we saw with Cyclone Larry in 2006, they can hit
land. In the case of Larry, the damage due to severe winds was
widespread.

Cyclone Larry damaged 50% of homes in Innisfail - 35% of private
industry was damaged as well as 25% of government buildings
including schools.

During Cyclone Larry in Innisfail, wind of up to 290km/h ripped
roofs from houses, demolished an ambulance station, damaged a
hospital and police station, and uprooted trees

Larry rebuilding costs were estimated to be in the hundreds of
millions of dollars, with up to 10,000 houses damaged and one in
three losing their roofs.

Post disaster assessments of Larry showed 50% of homes in
Innisfail were damaged while 35% of private industry structures
needed repairs, and 25% of government buildings were severely
damaged including the hospital.

The bill for Queensland's March 2010 Southwest floods ran up to
the hundreds of millions, with families, businesses and properties
inundated across a large portion of the State.

During floods families can incur costs significantly above what
they are insured for, especially if rooftops, gutters and latches
are not up to scratch. Preparing for
floods can save $$$.

It can take time for help to arrive after sudden events like
last year's The Gap storm in Brisbane, as we are seeing with tragic
consequences in the Lockyer Valley.

The challenging gradual recovery process underway across
Brisbane demonstrates why being prepared can save time, reduce
environmental impacts by reducing waste and protecting homes and
buildings, and reduce community risks along the way.

In Brisbane's storm at The Gap, 145 000 houses and business
lost power, and over 10,000 calls were made to the SES. 4,000
houses were damaged in The Gap, and 30 became uninhabitable.